The BSD American League All-Star Roster

As this blog’s resident American League columnist, I hereby present to you the unofficial Official Back Seat Drivers American League All-Star Roster! Hitman did a bang-up job on the NL All-Star Roster, which can be found here.

Following Hitman’s lead, I have selected 34 players to fill the 34 roster slots. Per All-Star Game rules, there is at least one player representative from each AL team. The selections have been made without regard to current injuries or fan balloting; i.e. this is my set of picks for the entire roster, as if I got to choose the entire 34-man team.

Catcher:
Starter: Victor Martinez, Red Sox. It’s been a down year for catchers in baseball and the AL has not been spared in this regard. V-Mart is hitting .289/.344/.480 with 9 HR and 38 RBI which ranks him first or second in each category among his positional peers.
Reserve: Joe Mauer, Twins. It’s not anything like the MVP season he put up in 2009 but Mauer is still the game’s best all-around catcher and has earned an All-Star appearance with a .300 average and .806 OPS.
Just Missed: None.

First Base:
Starter: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers. The AL leader in HR and RBI sports a .337 AVG and is having his finest season in a superb career. Whatever his late-season issues were last year, they’re clearly behind him now. This is good for the Tigers and good for the AL.
Reserve: Justin Morneau, Twins; Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox; Paul Konerko, White Sox. In truth, there’s just not that much separating these reserves from the starter. Each of these guys is among the league leaders in HR, RBI, AVG.
Just Missed: None.

Second Base:
Starter: Robinson Cano, Yankees. This one wasn’t even close. Given the increased value of offensive production by a middle infielder (over a corner infielder or an outfielder), Cano has been hands-down, the AL MVP and arguably the game’s best player in 2010. With a .353/.404/.588 batting line to go with his position-leading 16 HR, 54 RBI, 57 R and sterling defense, Cano is in the middle of what might end up being one of the best seasons ever by a second baseman.
Reserve: Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox; Ty Wigginton, Orioles. Pedroia started off hot, cooled off in May and then came roaring back to life towards the end of June and is now back to his usual all-around dependability (.292/.370/.502). Wigginton ranks second among 2B with 14 HR and represents the Orioles’ lone All-Star representative.
Just Missed: None.

Third Base:
Starter: Evan Longoria, Rays. One of the game’s best young players, “E-Lo” is tied for the AL 3B lead with 12 HR, ranks second in RBI and third in AVG, all while playing a stellar defensive third base.
Reserve: Adrian Beltre, Red Sox; Michael Young, Rangers. If Beltre is miffed at not getting the starting job at the hot corner he can take solace in the fact that he has the 2010 AL Comeback Player of the Year Award safely in hand. He ranks in the league leaders with a .349 AVG, 12 HR, 53 RBI and is unquestionably the game’s pre-eminent defensive third baseman. For Young it’s just another routine .300 season with double-digit homers. It must get boring being as consistently productive as Michael Young is!
Just Missed: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees.

Shortstop:
Starter: Derek Jeter, Yankees. Jeter gets the nod in an extremely weak field this year. The Yankee Captain had an MVP-type season in 2009 but has shown signs of aging thus far in 2010. Despite that, Jeter still ranks second in HR, RBI and R and third in AVG.
Reserve: Alex Gonzalez, Blue Jays; Elvis Andrus, Rangers. Gonzalez leads all AL shortstops with 14 HR and 40 RBI and Andrus, despite being the only regular AL SS with zero homers, has doubled up the field in the stolen base department, leading the position with 22 steals.
Just Missed: None.

Outfield:
Starters: Josh Hamilton, Rangers; Vernon Wells; Blue Jays; Alex Rios, White Sox. Holy Reclamation Project outfield, Batman! Hamilton’s story is well known at this point so it’s not worth rehashing. What perhaps is not known is that he’s leading AL outfielders with a .340/.385/.607 batting line, along with 18 HR and 58 RBI. He’s been the game’s hottest hitter over the past 30 days and is probably the sole reason why the Rangers have a hold on first place in the AL West. Wells (.280/.331/.557, 19 HR) and Rios (.307 AVG, 13 HR, 21 SB) were both put on outright waivers by the Blue Jays last year. One year later, they’re two-thirds of the AL’s starting outfield. Incredible.
Reserve: Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners; Torii Hunter, Angels; Shin-Soo Choo, Indians. You know it’s a pretty strong starting outfield when mainstays Torii Hunter and Ichiro Suzuki are relegated to reserve duty. Both are having strong seasons but missed out on the starting jobs because Hamilton, Wells and Rios were just doing that much better. Choo, arguably the game’s most underrated player, is Cleveland’s lone representative.
Just Missed: Nelson Cruz, Rangers; Magglio Ordonez, Tigers; Brett Gardner, Yankees; Nick Swisher, Yankees.

Starting Pitchers:
Starter: Jered Weaver, Angels. I’m sure there’s a degree of surprise with this selection, especially given some of the names listed among the reserves. The element of surprise notwithstanding, Weaver is leading all AL pitchers in strikeouts (124) and boasts a 2.82 ERA to go with his 8 wins. The Angels may only be in second place but Weaver is having a Cy Young season.
Reserves: Jon Lester, Red Sox; David Price, Rays; CC Sabathia, Yankees; Ricky Romero, Blue Jays; Francisco Liriano, Twins; Cliff Lee, Mariners; Felix Hernandez, Mariners; Trevor Cahill, A’s. The names listed here represent the majority of the AL leaders in W, ERA and K’s. Special mention goes to Francisco Liriano for coming all the way back from two years worth of surgeries and to Trevor Cahill for being the A’s sole representative.
Just Missed: John Danks, White Sox; Phil Hughes, New York Yankees; Andy Pettitte, Yankees; Jeff Niemann, Rays, Carl Pavano, Twins; Zack Greinke, Royals; Justin Verlander, Tigers; Clay Buchholz, Red Sox; Colby Lewis, Rangers.

Relief Pitchers:
Mariano Rivera, Yankees; Jose Valverde, Tigers; Neftali Feliz, Rangers; Joakim Soria, Royals. Rivera’s selection is self-explanatory as he is the single-greatest relief pitcher in baseball history in the midst of yet another incredible season (0.89 ERA). Amazingly, Rivera’s microscopic ERA does not lead the field of AL relievers, as Valverde’s 0.53 is even more impressive. Feliz, a rookie that came up as a setup man last year, leads the AL with 21 saves and Soria joins the squad both as a deserving candidate (20 saves) and as the Royals lone representative.
Just Missed: Andrew Bailey, A’s; Rafael Soriano, Rays; Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox; Jon Rauch, Twins.

The BSD National League All-Star Roster

As this blog's resident National League columnist, I hereby present to you the unofficial Official Back Seat Drivers National League All-Star Roster!

I have selected 34 players to fill the 34 roster slots. Following ASG rules, there is at least one player representative from each NL team. The selections have been made without regard to current injuries or fan balloting; i.e. this is my set of picks for the entire roster, as if I got to choose the entire 34-man team.

Let's get to it:

Catcher:
Starter: Miguel Olivo, Colorado. Olivo has been the best offensive catcher in the league - hitting .312, with 11 dingers, 36 runs and 39 rbi. He's also nabbed an incredible 53% of runners trying to steal on him. An easy choice to start.
Reserve: Brian McCann, Atlanta. There really isn't a good 2nd choice. I'm going with McCann because he's got the best offensive numbers among the league's regulars - but even his stats aren't compelling (.260-9-33).
Just Missed: None.

First Baseman:
Starter: Joey Votto, Cincinnati. Pujols is the reflexive choice, but Votto's been just a tad better (.314-18-55-51 runs-7 SB). Votto's also a huge reason why Cincinnati is surprisingly in contention.
Reserves: Albert Pujols, St. Louis; Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego; Ryan Howard, Philadelphia. Pujols' numbers are just behind Votto's; he's putting up a typically amazing season. Gonzalez is once again toiling in obscurity, even with the Friar's success - but with a .297-16-51 line, he absolutely belongs here. Howard is quietly putting together another terrific campaign (.297-15-55).
Just Missed: Adam Dunn, Washington.

Second Baseman:
Starter: Chase Utley, Philadelphia. Unlike previous seasons, his offensive numbers aren't head-and-shoulders above his peers - but he's still been all-around terrific, and he has the highest UZR rating (that's a fielding metric) to boot. But not a slam-dunk decision this year.
Reserve: Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee; Martin Prado Atlanta. Weeks is putting together a great season, hitting .273 with 13 homers, 51 runs, and 47 RBI. Prado has led the league in batting average for most of the season, and has been a key cog in Atlanta's early success.
Just Missed: Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati.

Third Baseman:
Starter: David Wright, NY Mets. The power is back - 14 homers to date - and he's still running and hitting. Clearly the best at his position in the NL.
Reserve: Scott Rolen, Cincinnati; Ryan Zimmerman, Washington. Never thought you'd see Rolen in another ASG, did you? Well, with a .302 average and 17 bombs, he's an obvious choice. Zimmerman is still the best young player on an unknown team (sorry, Mr. Strasburg, you're not quite there yet), hitting .283 with 13 HR and 40 RBI - and we need a National.
Just Missed: Casey McGehee, Milwaukee.

Shortstop:
Starter: Hanley Ramirez, Florida. .296 average, 12 HR, 15 SB - and that's after a relatively slow start. Like Wright, he's the best at his position.
Reserve: Jose Reyes, NY Mets. Concerns about Reyes' production coming off an injury...look stupid now. He's got 19 swipes to go with a .277 average.
Just Missed: None.

Outfielders:
Starters: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee; Colby Rasmus, St. Louis; Justin Upton, Arizona. Nobody really stands out as the top two or three, but I'll say: Braun's numbers are down slightly, but he's still at .295-11-49-49 and 11 steals. Rasmus is tops among NL outfielders in OPS, with 16 homers to go with a .274 average. Upton's batting average is down but his power and speed are not (.269-14-39-48 runs-11 SB)
Reserve: Corey Hart, Milwaukee; Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh; Andre Ethier, Los Angeles; Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado. Hart leads all NL OF with 18 home runs and 60 RBI. McCutchen is having a nice season with .297 and 19 steals, but he's here mostly because he's a Pirate. Ethier's injury diminishes his numbers a bit, but .312 with 12 homers gets him in. Gonzalez is a budding star, at .295-11-49 RBI-12 SB.
Just Missed: Matt Holliday, St. Louis.

Starting Pitchers:
Starter: Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado. Can there be any doubt? He is an amazing 14-1, with a 1.83 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.
Reserves: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco; Josh Johnson, Florida; Adam Wainwright, St. Louis; Roy Halladay, Philadelphia; Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee; Chris Carpenter, St. Louis; Mat Latos, San Diego; Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles. In any other season, Lincecum and Johnson would be compelling candidates to start - they've been amazing (especially Johnson, over the last two months). I'd love to have any of these guys on my team.
Just Missed: None, although a good case could be made for the Cubs' Carlos Silva, the Giants' Matt Cain, and the Mets' Mike Pelfrey.

Relief Pitchers: Brian Wilson, San Francisco; Carlos Marmol, Chicago; Heath Bell, San Diego; Matt Lindstrom, Houston. As in years past, there are many closers who could be taken. Wilson, Bell, and Marmol are easier choices; Lindstrom is here because we need an Astro.
Just Missed: Francisco Rodriguez, NY Mets; Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles.

The BSD American League All-Star Roster

As this blog’s resident American League columnist, I hereby present to you the unofficial Official Back Seat Drivers American League All-Star Roster! Hitman did a bang-up job on the NL All-Star Roster, which can be found here.

Following Hitman’s lead, I have selected 32 players to fill the 32 roster slots. Per All-Star Game rules, there is at least one player representative from each AL team. The selections have been made without regard to current injuries or fan balloting; i.e. this is my set of picks for the entire roster, as if I got to choose the entire 32-man team.

Catcher:
Starter: Joe Mauer, Twins. Although he doesn’t yet have enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title, Joe Mauer is leading the majors with a ridiculous .383 average at the plate this year. He’s also leading all major league catchers with a 1.117 OPS. There isn’t a catcher in the game within a mile of his skill-set.
Reserve: Victor Martinez, Indians. V-Mart is no longer exclusively a catcher, having played an equal number of games behind the plate (38) and at first base (39). He’s hitting the ball again, with a sterling batting line of .313/.392/.522, along with 14 homers and 57 RBI.
Just Missed: None.

First Baseman:
Starter: Justin Morneau, Twins. The other half of Minnesota’s M&M boys, check out Morneau’s ranking among AL first basemen batting leaders: 19 HR (tied for 3rd), 64 RBI (1st), and .313 AVG (4th). He’s the most complete player at the position thus far.
Reserve: Mark Teixeira, Yankees; Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox; Russell Branyan, Mariners. Teixeira has the second-most HR and RBI at the position, Youkilis is leading all AL first basemen with a 1.031 OPS, and Branyan is having a career year with 19 homers, a .303 average, and higher OPS (1.006) than Miguel Cabrera (.954). He has been Seattle’s best player and can’t be excluded in good conscience.
Just Missed: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers.

Second Baseman:
Starter: Ian Kinsler, Rangers. Although the second base position has gotten deeper over the years, Kinsler is the class of the position in the American League. He’s tied for the league lead for homers at the position (19) with Aaron Hill and also leads in the steals department (16).
Reserve: Aaron Hill, Blue Jays. Kinsler may get the starting nod but Hill is having a breakout season with his superb .305/.344/.510 batting line and 19 HR.
Just Missed: Robinson Cano, Yankees.

Third Baseman:
Starter: Evan Longoria, Rays. Simply put, Longoria is the best all-around player at his position right now. He’s killing the ball to the tune of .301/.381/.566 with 16 HR and 63 RBI while playing top notch defense (+13.4 UZR/150).
Reserve: Brandon Inge, Tigers. Inge leads all AL third basemen with 18 homers and is hitting a respectable .275. He has the second-highest OPS at the position and has been just as good in the field as Longoria (+13.3 UZR/150).
Just Missed: Michael Young, Rangers.

Shortstop:
Starter: Derek Jeter, Yankees. The old man takes a licking and keeps on ticking. He’s posting another good season in a Hall-of-Fame career, leading all qualified players at the position with a .307 batting average and tied for the positional lead with 17 stolen bases.
Reserve: Alexei Ramirez, White Sox; Jason Bartlett, Rays. After a horrifically slow start and several benchings, Ramirez has quietly begun to hit consistently for the White Sox. He leads all AL shortstops in homers (10) and is second to Jeter in steals (11). Bartlett missed time due to injury but has a .366 AVG, 7 HR, 36 RBI and 17 SB in just 58 games.
Just Missed: Marco Scutaro, Blue Jays.

Outfielders:
Starters: Jason Bay, Red Sox; Carl Crawford, Rays; Torii Hunter, Angels. A somewhat unglamorous starting outfield, to be sure, but statistically the most complete offensive group in the AL. Bay leads all outfielders with 69 RBI and is tied with Nelson Cruz for the league lead with 19 HR. Hunter is having a renaissance season with 17 HR, 12 SB and a .303 AVG and makes the team as the only member of the Angels everyday lineup. Crawford leads the majors with 40 steals and has the second-highest batting average at the position, hitting .321.
Reserve: Ben Zobrist, Rays; Nelson Cruz, Rangers; Adam Jones, Orioles. Again, an unglamorous corps of outfielders in reserve, but all have played their way into the Midsummer Classic. Zobrist went from backup shortstop/super-sub to sixth in the AL among OF with 16 HR and a .290 AVG, Cruz has a share of the HR lead among OF with 19 HR and has contributed 12 steals, and Adam Jones is the only Oriole on the AL ASG roster, hitting a robust .305 with 12 HR and 50 RBI.
Just Missed: Juan Rivera, Angels; Johnny Damon, Yankees; Adam Lind, Blue Jays; Jermaine Dye, White Sox.

Starting Pitchers:
Starter: Zack Greinke, Royals. Unlike years past, where a member of the Royals only made it as a token participant, Greinke has pitched his way onto the roster as the major league leader in innings pitched (115.1), wins (10), ERA (1.95) and second in the AL in strikeouts (114). He’s been the best pitcher in the league thus far, hands down.
Reserves: Cliff Lee, Indians; Justin Verlander, Tigers; CC Sabathia, Yankees; Felix Hernandez, Mariners; Roy Halladay, Blue Jays; Josh Beckett, Red Sox; Kevin Millwood, Rangers; and Jered Weaver, Angels. All of these guys make it on merit, appearing on the AL leaderboard for wins, strikeouts, ERA and innings.
Just Missed: Mark Buehrle, White Sox, Jon Lester, Red Sox

Relief Pitchers: Joe Nathan, Twins; Mariano Rivera, Yankees; Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox; and Andrew Bailey, A’s. The first three names are self-explanatory. Andrew Bailey might be the lone no-name but he has had an outstanding season as a converted middle reliever and makes the team as the sole member of the Oakland A’s.
Just Missed: Brian Fuentes, Angels; Frank Francisco, Rangers; Bobby Jenks, White Sox.

All-Star Memories (Abridged)

I want to do a full post on my experiences at last night’s All Star Game but I need to wait until my pictures (225 of them!) are developed. In lieu of a full post I will give you a quickie recap of my thoughts:

-The atmosphere all around the ballpark was tremendous. For those that have never been to Yankee Stadium, you have to understand that one would never spend any time in that neighborhood for any reason other than to attend a ballgame. It’s not dangerous, per se, but it’s just run down and depressed. I’ve been going to Yankee games since I was 10 years old and I can’t remember a time when there was more life and excitement around the ballpark – and that includes the playoffs and World Series.

-The weather was absolutely perfect. It wasn’t too hot, it wasn’t chilly, and the humidity was virtually non-existent. The baseball gods were certainly wearing t-shirts and shorts and smiling down upon us last night.

-My favorite part of every All-Star Game is during player introductions. I love when the players come out onto the field wearing their individual team uniforms and tip their caps or wave to the crowd upon having their names called. Last night was no different. But when the Hall of Famers were brought out and introduced, I had goosebumps. Seeing Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Ernie Banks, Cal Ripken, Mike Schmidt, and all the other old-timers was awesome.

-For the most part, the game was well played until the 8th inning. After that point, the errors came in leaps and bounds and neither team could execute at the plate. The AL stranded the go-ahead run at third base in three consecutive innings. It looked like Little League out there for a while.

-My favorite moment of the night was when Jonathan Papelbon came into the game in the top of the 8th inning to the sound of throaty boos and alternating chants of “overrated” and “Mariano.” A partisan crowd at Yankee Stadium is one of those little things that make life worth living. Equally enjoyable was watching Billy “other Sandman” Wagner come in and blow the save in the bottom of the 8th inning. Two of the most annoying Rivera wannabes both eating shit from Yankee fans on national TV. It just doesn’t get better than that.

I’ll have pictures up this weekend!

Shut Your Piehole! Shut Your Piehole! Shut Your Piehole! Shut Your Piehole! Edition

Did you know that Terry Francona did everything he could tonight to avoid pitching Scott Kazmir? Or that, if he was forced to use Kazmir, Francona would limit him to a strict pitch count?

I learned that during the All-Star Game because Joe Buck mentioned it no less than 18 FUCKING TIMES!

It is understandably difficult for an announcer to consistently add to the TV viewing experience by saying smart things. The corollary is that an announcer can make the experience worse by saying dumb things - or, in this case, by repeating the same damn two sentences over and over and over and over again.

Tonight's All-Star Game was a classic, full of some great pitching and defense, plenty of compelling storylines, all set against the historic backdrop of Yankee Stadium and all those Hall-of-Famers. What a damn shame that the most overrated announcer in the country made watching tonight's game that much less enjoyable.

Joe Buck: Shut your babbling repetitive piehole!

I'm going to bed.

Josh Hamilton

I’m going to the All-Star Game tonight. I’m beyond excited and I can’t wait for the player introductions, the first pitch, and the chance to cheer (or boo) for all the players out there. After last night’s Home Run Derby, I will be cheering for someone I’ve stood up for in the past but have never really cared about one way or another.

I have no clue how to upload a video so I’ll have to ask you to watch this and then think about the following:

Watching Josh Hamilton put on that kind of display was a lot of fun. Granted, it would be hard to do that in game conditions but it was still neat to see balls hit and land in places that I’ve never seen before.

The kid wasted a lot of his youth polluting his body and trying to kill himself. As a result, it’s unlikely that he’ll have the longevity required to climb the ladder of great players. But, for one night, it must’ve been amazing for him to get his name chanted by the fans at Yankee Stadium. I hope that memory sustains him for life and reminds him that staying clean can lead to more great memories. Had he died, he’d never have had the chance to live for last night’s fun. I don’t mean to preach, I’m just really proud of Josh Hamilton and I can’t wait to clap for him in person.

Woohoo! A Dream Comes True

Big news! Our humble blog will have an on-site reporter at Tuesday's All-Star Game. Thanks to the Hitman, yours truly gets to be there for what may turn out to be one of the greatest baseball moments of my life.

The sound of booing you'll hear will be coming from me just as soon as the loathsome Red Sox scumbags* are announced. Stay tuned for pictures and a write-up to hit the presses by the middle of next week.

*Jason Varitek, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Manny Ramirez, Jonathan Papelbon, David Ortiz, and JD Drew.